The present invention relates to apparatus used to form wall veneers from building blocks, such as conventional bricks and cement blocks. With further specificity, the present invention relates to apparatus for forming wall veneers of bricks or other like materials without the use of mortar or other bonding materials between the blocks to bind them together, by retaining said bricks to a wall structure at a desired distance from said wall structure and at a desired distance between the bricks. In addition, the present invention relates to apparatus useful for maintaining the proper alignment of bricks during the construction of conventional mortar and brick walls.
Various devices have been developed to aid masons in constructing conventional brick or building block wall veneers. Such veneers are formed by layers of bricks placed one atop another with mortar or other binding agent therebetween to hold the bricks together. Forming such veneers, by conventional means, requires significant skill and expense in that typically a skilled mason is needed to form brick walls that are plumb and level, with the attendant expense to hire such a skilled person. While various apparatus have been developed to simplify the construction of brick veneer walls, all such apparatus are intended to be used by a skilled mason in constructing brick walls by conventional methods of arranging rows of bricks with mortar therebetween to bond the bricks together, as described hereinafter. Not disclosed is a means by which a person unskilled in the art of masonry or bricklaying can form brick veneer walls or wall sections without the use of mortar to bind the bricks together, and can do so themselves at relatively low cost.
One common application of brick laying projects is in making wall panels for decorative purposes, where the appearance of a whole or partial brick wall is desired at relatively low cost.
The prior art discloses several means intended for use by masons as alignment devices in constructing conventional mortar and brick walls. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,69/8089 to Huston (Oct. 17, 1972), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,162 to Prebeck (Jun. 30,1992) disclose clip means which are attached to bricks to provide an anchor for attachment of an alignment line. Typically, clips of this nature are fastened to bricks near the opposite ends of a brick wall, and a line stretched tautly therebetween to provide an alignment guide for further bricklaying.
However, alignment devices of the type disclosed in Huston and Prebeck depend on an unmoving anchor brick to which the clip means is attached. As the line is tightened to produce a taut alignment guide, such clips tend to slip from the anchor bricks to which they are attached and to shift the brick from its initial location, in the process disrupting the alignment of the line, as it is no longer taut. With the line no longer taut, it is not possible to use it as a guide for laying a level brick row.
The present invention provides a solid, secure anchor point for alignment lines. Instead of relying on the mortar to hold the anchor brick in place, with clip means attaching the line to the brick, the present invention provides a means for solidly anchoring the guide bricks in place and for secure attachment of the alignment line to an unmoving point. After mounting the apparatus on a wall structure, which is typically wood, by nails, screws or other like fastening means, a brick is inserted and locked into place in the apparatus. In such manner, a pair of bricks at either end of a wall section may be mounted to serve as anchor bricks, then an alignment line is attached therebetween by tying the alignment line to the anchor bricks or to the retainer apparatus of the present invention. Then, two or more bricks are installed at the upper corners of the wall structure, plumb with the anchor bricks. Alignment lines are run from the lowermost to the uppermost retainer apparatus to provide plumb lines. In such manner, taut, unmoving alignment lines are provided to simplify the task of laying the next row of bricks at an equal elevation to that of the anchor bricks, and to ensure that the brick corners are plumb.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for retaining bricks and other building blocks on a wall structure to form a brick veneer. Another object is to provide apparatus that will retain bricks to form a brick veneer without the use of mortar between said bricks, and to provide a means of forming a brick veneer that may be implemented by persons unskilled in the art of bricklaying. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for retaining bricks on a wall structure to form a brick veneer over said wall, said apparatus amenable to mass production from relatively low cost materials, and that can be made in various embodiments to suit particularized needs. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a simple apparatus for installation of one or more "anchor" or "guide" bricks on a wall structure, with said anchor bricks serving as the reference point for installation of the remaining bricks in that row at equal elevation.